Don't know what to think about this. Gameskeeper is ass raping someone but becomes like a little boy who's done bad in front of the nun, and the nun doesn't seem that outraged, more like disappointed. Is that why Shaky loved her? She was a rock in a Crossed world? Although how Jasper could take over the island so quickly is a little out there for me. Wouldn't the Cava islanders know fighting the Crossed is death? They've kept their heads down for over a year with very little problems relatively and even done a sortie and come back with no problems.

Guess that is a theme in Crossed, Si. Humans are proactive creatures relatively, and the Crossed are an expression of that. Thought and action are one. Granted a certain kind of thought and action come out all the time, but still. Shaky burned too many bridges for not enough gain.

no surprise that the 'old leaders' want to kill the new troublemaker.my only question is, wouldn't the other survivors on Cava be smart enough not to want to "fightback?" You'd think that after everything they've been through and having been on the island for a while now, they'd know better enough than to want to head out there and cause trouble. sounds ridiculous.

First, as an aside, I was wondering if it was possible that Shaky was hallucinating everything with the nun that showed her as crossed? The boat seems quite possible that she's not actually in it and with the standing stones, it could be possible that Richie and Viceroy didn't actually go with him (for starters, no-one saw anything there later when they went to look). Most tellingly, if Shaky knows as a fact that she's turned or dead, why would he be leaving notes for her?

I guess it's not inconceivable that we've got a bit of unreliable narrator going on here.

Secondly, and just another total guess here, I'm suspecting that the two storylines (the gamekeeper in the past and Jasper in the present) are moving towards convergence, insofar as what happened before is going to happen again; quite possibly with Shaky taking his experience of what happened before to influence or control the outcome of what happens in the present. (I'm guessing the first time around, it ended in quite a mess as none of the others except Shaky seem to be around any more).

using a word from the comic today, the "preamble" between Richie and Jasper (to me anyway) makes for a perfect excuse to kill the fucker and Richie seems like he'd be easy enough to talk into it. God knows he must want to and Jasper's earned a mountain of pain from him. Maybe not death but it'd be the easiest temporary insanity plea of the century. Most definitely can't wait to see where this is going now - what Shaky helps plan to take care of Jasper and where they all 'go' from here. (And credit where it's due, even with all his current evil-doings Shaky finally got in Tabitha's pants...something he's been itching for, for a while! heh heh (Admittedly I've been rooting for him there as well!))

@Shan - Don't see any indication that Shaky is hallucinating. If Shaky was alone at the standing stones, then why did Viceroy come to him later and, after noting that he saw that Shaky knew the nun, asked him what his story was? Did Shaky hallucinate that as well? No. Shaky has thought the nun was dead, until he saw her in the boat. Unless he is more fooling himself, hoping that she is dead. Which leads me to believe he didn't see her final fate, probably was fleeing or something else guilt inducing. As far as your noting that the two storylines are converging - well, yeah, pretty obvious. What happened to Shaky on his way to Cava is clearly of importance to the larger narrative since that is where the nun(who is being set up as the big threat) came from. You have this X'd nun(her condition still a mystery) running around who apparently has the ability to get the other Crossed organized and who, oh yeah, also has personal history with a resident of Cava. You have Jasper who is going to get the little community noticed. Basic math, right?

Maybe, unless Jasper is killed before any sortie can be organised which is a possibility. I suspect this is now the beginning of the end for the GK as he has shown 'weakness' and may well try and over compensate, but this is the tipping point for that particular group. I'm guessing her ladyship will run into some Crossed and lead them back to the others. And just how close is the group to Cava now? And Shaky appears hellishly remorseful about whatever happened to the nun as he was crying when with Tabitha.

Though I've been following it all the way through and that obviously adds a great deal of weight to the subject matter, this particular episode could be read as a standalone comic entirely free from the others and be enjoyed immensely.

Well, using a great example of what you see is what you don't get is Fight Club, how much of what we saw, even with other people in the scene, actually ended up happening the way we saw it initially?

Currently, I'm just wondering the following: Was she really in the boat or did Shaky imagine/project that? Has there even been a boat most of the time (exploding cow nonwithstanding)? Did really go to the stones with Viceroy and Richie and see all that, or did he in fact go with them (or alone) and see nothing ... after all, the others said they went and saw nothing ... but from Shaky's POV, there had been a lot of bodies and other junk there. Did they not see that or was it actually never there in the first place?

And finally, if he knows for a fact she's dead or crossed, why is he leaving notes for her? Maybe whatever cataclysm split (or destroyed) his group scattered survivors and he really has no idea what happened to her and since then, perhaps his mind has been doing the rest?

Awww Tabitha is awesome XD, made that mean old gameskeeper stop his silly arse rape. Best favorite character in Crossed for sure now *sorry Jackson, you pretty cool too but I like my sheep unshagged* Also she's a pretty cool Crossed leader too although she should probably change out that leg now, that's probably not hygienic (and maybe she's a special infected who can think without a rash, "mistake" my tinfoil wearing arse Mr. Spurrier if that is your real name hmmmm)

Come to think of it, Rab and Don might have come up with a plan that would get them rid of both Jasper and Shaky...1. Get Shaky to kill Jasper2. Deny invlovement, let Jasper's follower kill Shaky in retribution3. In the absence of a clear leader, people turn back to them (nature hates a vaccum)4. ..... ?5. Profit !

@ Shan Oh dear I always seem to do that, silly me getting the nun Theresa confused with Tabitha the artist. God I need a character guide every time I post, I always seem to get two characters confused. Probably gonna confused the Territorial Army guy with the gameskeeper next since they are both bald.

@Shan You may be right. You certainly are not alone in the thought that a lot of the goings on are in Shaky's head. The thing is, that would be such a stupid twist and Si really seems like a much better writer than that. I really hope it does not turn out to the be the case. In answer to your questions: About the boat - remember when she showed up right at the start of the sortie(when they were getting bombed by the mortar), Viceroy heard the boat first followed by everyone else. They then saw the boat(which had a searchlight on it, so it was pretty obvious). Shaky had the gun with the telescopic sight and he was the only one who got a good look(remember, he lied to Jackson who asked him who he saw in the boat and Shaky said he couldn't tell. I am telling you, the nun and the boat really exist, it is not a figment of Shaky's imagination). As far as the standing stones, remember, Jasper and co went out there at least a day or two later - The Crossed horde, led by the nun, had simply left by then. Therefore, nothing for them to see. Finally, as regards Shaky's reasoning for leaving the notes - He had thought the nun was dead. He found out that she isn't when he saw her in the boat, now Crossed. He started leaving the notes after hearing Tabitha's story. He is hoping that if the nun reads the notes, they might reach who she was before being turned(just like Tabitha's student crush did after seeing the pictures she painted).

I'm just speculating, of course. I know we'll all find out soon enough. After all, we know as a fact that Jackson sees things that aren't always there, so it's out of the realms of possibility that Shaky has quite the imagination and not quite everything is how he tells it (even if not deliberately). He's a writer, after all. That + guilt trip is a potent combination ...

Then there's the guy in the totally black get up. Now what's all *that* about?